


Hellenders - Episode 3: Failure

by LaughingThalia



Series: HELLENDERS (Demonhunters) [3]
Category: Artemis: Requiem (Comics), DCU, DCU (Comics), Wonder Girl (Comics), Wonder Woman (Comics), Wonder Woman - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-25
Updated: 2019-01-27
Packaged: 2019-10-16 06:15:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17544290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaughingThalia/pseuds/LaughingThalia
Summary: "65? Out of 100? How is that possible? You know I used to be an actual superhero.""Yeah," she scoffed, "a superhero who died in a matter of months."





	1. Training Day

**Episode 3: Failure**

**Act I**

**Scene i**

 

Artemis leapt back, ignoring the gross stickiness as she landed directly in the trash and drew her bow, eyeing the three demons approaching her, they had wrangled her into a corner, boxed her in which wasn’t good. She shot one and it went reeling back with a terrible screech and then in the space it had left open Artemis backflipped into the open space and before she’d landed back on her feet, shot another arrow, raced at it and sent it flying with a firm kick. One down, two to go. She didn’t like the Justice League much but one thing she had picked up from them was Green Arrow’s affinity for trick arrows. These particular demons weren't very smart, they'd stood together, made themselves a larger target, if she shot at them there was a good chance she could hit both although it was unlikely it would kill the both and so she did the only thing that would guarantee a kill. She pulled a grappling hook arrow from her quiver shot up at a building and pulled down some bricks which landed directly on the demons, crushing them.

“Woah woah woah woah! What was that!”

 

Artemis turned around to face Deadfall, Sureshot, Hank and the Hellenders' trainer Myst. “What do you mean Myst? That was me killing the demons.”

 

“Nope.” Myst waggled her pen at her “That was you causing unnecessary property damage.”

 

“My job is to kill demons. I did that.”

 

“Your job is to kill them efficiently. And that doesn’t include pulling residential buildings down on top of them!” Myst pointed up at the building Artemis has just defaced and there were people peeking out of their windows trying to figure out what had just happened. The person who lived on the top floor yelled down angrily “YOU BETTER FIX THAT!”

 

“If I didn’t kill the demon those people would end up dead anyways. Surely this is better.”

 

“Better yes, but no ideal. I’m giving you a 65.”

 

“65? Out of 100?”

 

“Yep, which puts you at the bottom of the scoreboard, below Henrietta’s 89.”

 

Artemis scowled “You do realise I was literally a superhero!”

 

“Yes,” Myst replied snarkily, “A superhero who died in a matter of months.”

 

Artemis reeled back as if she’d been struck, “How dare you!?” She turned around and stormed back through the town to the compound, clearly Myst didn’t appreciate talent when she saw it if even a novice like Hank could score above her.

She heard Hank run after her to catch up “Artemis wait, I know you’re great at what you do I mean you saved me but I think if you want to pass Myst’s test you have to show her that you can do this her way.”

 

“I can run this course in my sleep Hank.”

 

“I know, I know.” Hank looked around as they walked back to the compound “Do you find it weird that we get to use a huge chunk of this town to train?” Her eyes followed some of the civilians in the area and they all gave her and Artemis weary looks.

 

“Not really, people are stupid.”

 

“I guess...

 

“I’m going into the city. We’ve been in this compound and this town for so long, I’m getting cabin fever. Are you coming with?”

 

“I think I’m going to try and run the course again, 88 is good but I’m only here because you twisted their arm, I need to show that asshat Deadfall that I deserve to be here just as much as he does.”

 

Artemis nodded “Well good luck.”

 

“Thanks.”

 

Artemis didn’t actually have a lot of casual clothes, she had Amazon battle gear, her Hellenders training suit which she was wearing now, her combat gear and the suit she’d worn to Shock’s house. She did have a few other clothes, since Hank had very wisely insisted on a shopping trip and so she pulled on a white button up blouse, some black cuffed jeans and so white vans. She’d been eyeing up some Timberlands but Hank had said that cuffed jeans went better with Vans and she did trust the other woman’s sense of fashion.

 

She hailed a cab and soon enough was on her way out of this drab town and into the big city not too far away.  



	2. Peggy Noris, All Around Good Girl

**Scene ii**

 

Peggy Norris worked hard. She’d worked hard her entire life, she’d worked and networked, stayed late without pay, went above and beyond  and yet the promotion she had been promised had passed her by yet again and she knew exactly why. Dudley ‘Dud’ Quipe. He boss. Dud had asked her for a favour, Peggy would have done pretty much anything to get on his good side, anything except that. She was a  _ kiss up _ , not a prostitute, if he wanted a blow job he should hire a hooker or get a girlfriend, she was his colleague and she didn’t work in sex work.

 

Ever since she’d said no though, he’d stopped replying to her emails, promoted several people above of her even though she was better and more experienced than all of them.

 

And frankly she was sick of it. That last straw came when he finally did reply to her emails.

 

‘Peggy, did you reconsider doing me that favor?

 

Sent from my Iphone.’

 

Peggy had not, Peggy lost it instead. She’d been dabbling in the dark arts again, she found her old demonology books form her weird phase in High School and it was actually pretty interesting and she hadn’t anticipate that some of the stuff would actually work. She knew magic was real I mean there’s Zatanna, Wonder Woman, Dr Fate and Etrigan wandering around America doing God knows what but she always figured that kind of stuff was for heroes and villains, not for regular people like her.

 

Dud Quipe never saw himself as ‘regular people’ he came from money, saw himself as God’s gift to women and couldn’t understand for the life of him why Peggy didn’t want to blow him. He was in his office with some clients “Make sure you tell you father we’re still on for golf on Sunday.” One of the clients said to Dud as he left.

 

A lot of his clients were his dad’s friends, that’s why he always had the best billings, he brought in the best clients. He went to shake everyone’s hand when he heard a weird sound in the other hallway “What in the world?” He asked aloud. Then there was screaming from everyone in the offices there, before Dud could race back into his office and hide from whatever was out there like he wanted to, a huge green beast leapt out at him “OH MY GOD!” The creature grabbed Dud and leapt through the glass windows, taking Dud down onto the street “Please! Please don’t eat me! Help!”

 

Luckily for Dud, the one person who actually might actually be able to help was in the city at that exact moment, “Stop the Taxi!”

 

“Lady, are you sure?” The diver asked, eyeing up the demon.

 

She shoved some money in his direction, probably way too much “Keep the change, get out of the area.” And climbed out of the cab.

 

She inspected the creature before her. It was a putrid green colour, like a radioactive lizard. It was covered in scaled from head to toe and stood at an impressive 7 feet, which was only a foot taller than Artemis but it was yoked. Its biceps were the size of her head and its veins popped out of its skin. Artemis whispered under her breath “Jawhar.” And felt the human aura emanating from the 

demon, there was a person in there. This was a possession. A vengeful spirit taking advantage of some kind of terrible feeling that this woman had felt for the smug looking man in the suit.

 

One shot from her bow to made it let him  go. Another shot got it angry at her instead. And then when it came racing towards her she leapt over it. Possessions were harder to deal with, it meant she didn’t just have to save that man, she also had to save this woman. “Gone, gone the form of demon, rise the being-” Damn it she didn’t know her name. “You man, what’s her name?”

 

“Her name? How the hell should I know! It’s the bloody devil!”

 

“Which woman have you angered recently?”

 

“Uuuuum…” Dud shrugged.

 

“If you don’t want to die, you better start thinking!”

 

“Janice Thorsten? I didn’t call her back?”

 

“A demon burst out of your office which means she was already in there. Think of some one you work with!”

 

“Peggy? Peggy Norris maybe.”

 

“ _ Thank you _ .”

 

She trapped the creature under a car ignoring the cry of “My insurance premiums!” from the owner and, fired five arrows around it. She pulled out her knife and used it to cut a braid of her long hair that she’d done almost a week before and wrapped it around the arrows to create a pentagram with the demon in the centre “Gone, gone the form of demon, rise the being Peggy Norris! By the Power of Ra! The power of Mut,  the power of Nut, the power of Nephthys and the power of Sobek. I call upon my gods to restore this woman in body and mind.” Artemis held her hands over the star, she would be a conduit for the powers of the gods.

 

There was a scary moment of absolutely nothing and then slowly the woman started shrinking back into a smartly dressed, although frazzled, corporate lawyer. She was crying “I didn’t want that to happen! I just wanted my promotion! I’ve worked at this company for 10 years, I’m more qualified than half of my superiors and I’m stuck with a boss like Dudely Quipe! I’m a lawyer not a prostitute! I’m not going to become your  _ whore _ just to get a job, you should be able to see that I  _ deserve _ that position!” She was screaming at Dud now and he looked terrified because some of the people on the street, the people standing around recording, were giving him dirty looks and that was not good for him. 

 

Artemis stalked up to him, lifting him up by his neck, “Is what she says true?”

“It’s not like I asked her for sex! I just wanted a blow job!”

Artemis narrowed her eyes, in her heart of hearts she wanted to throw this man through a window but she couldn’t because even though he was  _ disgusting _ , it wouldn’t do well to kill a civilian. “Why don’t we all take a  trip down to your HR department.”

Peggy shook her head “I already reported him, they didn’t do anything. His dad gets this firm like half its clients.”

 

Artemis’ scowl deepened, “Maybe they’ll listen to me.”


	3. Parker Lyle Live!

**Scene iii**

 

Artemis sat in Nathaniel’s office watching the demon attack play on. “The question remains,” the news reporter said at the end “Was that an actual demon, why are regular people being possessed and was the hero of our story actually the Amazon Artemis, formerly known as Wonder Woman who died last year and if so, how is she back? More on this story at 7.”

 

Nathaniel turned the TV off and turned to face her “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” It was a quiet rage, that was usually the worst kind “We were meant to be covert.”

 

“But that wasn’t a mission, no one else was implicated in that attack.”

 

“You revealed demons to normal people!”

 

“That demon was already there, about to kill that guy! I saved them both!”

 

“And then after that you just marched everyone up to HR.”

 

“Like I said, it wasn’t a mission. I can do what I want on my free time.”

 

“You’re not getting what you’ve done wrong. You look at these two people you saved and see success. I look at it plastered all over the news and see failure.” Nathaniel yelled “YOU FAILED!”

 

“I can’t  _ fail _ if it’s not a mission.”

 

“You failed training this morning and when you stormed off like a brat, you went out and failed the Hellenders and you failed me that’s what you’ve done, and now I’m going to have to try and salvage this situation.”

Nathaniel started making a few calls and then before she knows it, his way of salvaging the situation was to make her do a TV interview. Artemis isn’t sure how this is supposed to help but apparently this actually was a mission, had a mission report and everything, so Artemis would have to take it seriously. She’d brought Hank along and she would be just off camera with the producer although since they hadn’t started shooting yet she sat next to Artemis and whispered to her “Hey you know how I said it was strange how the town let us train in Waverly?”

“Yeah, I remember.”

“After you left, I got a call from some townsfolk. I spoke to this guy Spivey and this other guy and he said Nathaniel showed up one day and started buying land and they thought it was for shopping plazas or something and then he said byt the time he realised what was actually going on it was ‘too late’ Then he said ‘they started disappearing’ never clarified who, because he got spooked and ran out of there like he was scared to death. I’ve been calling him, even went to his house. No answer.”

Artemis frowned “That is… worrying. After this, I’ll go with you. Maybe we can find something together, maybe there is something going on.”

“Thanks.”

“Ladies!” The host greeted them as she sat in her host chair “Parker Lyle.” She shook both their hands.

“Um… Ms Lyle. What is that?” Hank asked pointing of set at a large demon standing around drinking coffee.

“That is a demon. We’re fair and balanced, very both sides.”

“Both sides?” Hank asked “Like the side of the demons and then the side of the demon hunters?”

Parker Lyle nodded “It’s our ethos here on the show.”

“Um okay.” Hank concedes, not wanting to start an argument,  “I’m not sure how that’s going to work out.”

Artemis squinted at the demon suspiciously, “And that man next to him?”

Lyle looked over to where they were all staring, “That? That’s  his lawyer.”

Hank snorted, “A demon with a lawyer? Only way to tell the difference is the briefcase.”

 

Parker laughed, “We’ll be starting soon so everyone should get to their places.”

Hank stood up “Well that’s my cue to leave. Good luck Artemis.”

  
  
  


“Today on Parker Lyle Live I have a guest people have been  _ dying  _ to hear from. Artemis, formerly known as Wonder Woman and currently known as Requiem. It became known that the late Amazon was in fact  _ not dead _ when she was seen saving a man form  _ a demon _ and then saving a woman from a man and an incompetent and complicit HR department, here’s footage that was captured at the scene.” They all watched the video, as Artemis took down the demon and then turned her anger on Dud. “Now Artemis isn’t the only guest we have on tonight, we also have Tewr-Shiggud Baal, a demon, with us today.”

“Hi.” Tewr waved shyly. The man was 9 feet tall and what must have been 5 feet wide, huge and bright red. He wasn’t as… anamilistic as the demons she’d been fighting recently which was obviously how he had somehow landed this gig, how he had a lawyer Artemis wasn’t sure. She’d never heard of him and yet he seemed to be perfectly integrated into Human and American society. It made no sense that he could be just around and no one had ever talked about him.

“So Artemis first I have to address the elephant in the room. We all saw you die and Wonder Woman buried you in Gateway City. Recently your grave was disturbed and here you are so I have to ask firstly, were you ever dead?”

“Yes, I was dead. I… I got better.”

Off camera Hank face palmed “Got better? Why Arti!?”

“Got better?” Lyle asked a bit confused.”

“Superman comes back to life all the time. Why is it so confusing when I do it.”

“So you were resurrected by God?”

“Not God, no. Diana would tell you she did, but I did it myself.” Artemis could feel the waves of Christian outrage in the audience but what did Artemis care. She was telling the truth after all.

“After dying, don’t you have any qualms about dispatching other’s lives so easily?”

“I don’t kill indiscriminately. I’ve died, I remember what that feels like. When I kill something or someone it’s to stop them from killing others, innocents. I know you all see me as some kind of barbarian but I’m not a violent person, I don’t  _ enjoy _ killing but if I have to I will put an arrow through the brains of my enemies.”

 

Ms Lyle turned to the demon “So Tewr, how do you feel when you hear that?”

“I guess it makes me sad. I just don’t really understand violence. It makes me a little hurt but I forgive her. I mean why can’t we all just get along?” The suburban moms and white middle class woman in the audience were lapping it all up, they ‘aaawed’ in unison. Even the few People of colour and men in the audience seemed to be falling for whatever trick this demon was playing. Demon’s could be nice, like her Belyllioth, but to swear off violence? Artemis had never seen it. “Artemis take my hand and we can work to end this feud between our people.”

Artemis wasn’t one for public approval but the mission had been to make the Hellenders seem better. Refusing this gesture would certainly make the Hellenders look like butchers. She took his hand and then she realised, the same feeling she’d had when she’d touched Demon!Shock, when she’d touched Demon!Peggy, she wasn’t feeling it at all. This man was not a demon in the slightest. What was he?

“ _ Suqut thueban _ _   
_ _ suqut alwajh _ _   
_ __ suqut alwajiha. ”

That meant ‘snake fall, face fall, facade fall’ in Arabic. It was a revealing incantation, to reveal one’s true form she had learnt from Mala, the Amazon elder. During the Demon war she’s learnt a lot of things. She’d been 14, she thought once she was back she wouldn’t have to use this information ever again. She’d been wrong.

And sure enough with a screech, he transformed into a man “What are you?” She asked him, holding her dagger up to him, threateningly.

“Oh fuck! I’m an actor! A shapeshifter!”

“An actor?”

“I don’t act in movies and stuff. I usually do stuff in real life, you know… I’m the black guy walking around with a gun roughing people up, the tranny who's secretly a pedo.”

“You pretend to be real people? In order to make other people think badly of minorities?”

“Yeah basically.”

“Fake news.”

“Yes.”

Hank stood to the side, mouth wide open in shock “Of course they wouldn’t have a demon on screen.”

The producer, Mimi, laughed “You’re right, not on screen.”

Hank spun around “What?”

“What?”

The two woman stared at each other for a moment taking each other in. Hank reaches for her gun and aimed, “Don’t move.”

Artemis looked off screen and approached them, trusting that Hank’s instinct had been right, “Gone gone the face of Mimi Bowers rise the Demon buried beneath! By the power of Ra! By the power of Bast, by the power of Set, By the power of Oriosis, by the power of Isis! Your loyal follower asks this of you!”

Sure enough the woman disappeared and was replaced with a demon “A demon? At a talk show?”

“I see greed here, I see desperation. I feed on it!”

Artemis nodded “Prae Dolore, the demon of Agony and Desperation.” Artemis called for her bow and tied to it was a hooks hoop with twine tied to it in the form of a pentagram. “I’m getting tired of drawing pentagrams.” She said as she threw the hoop over her “Are you a mirage demon? Is Mimi Bowers possessed?”

Of course the demon didn’t answer, “Maybe Mimi is all tied up, maybe she’s stuck in a web spun from demonic deceit, maybe she’s stuck in my head screaming to get out, terrified. Who knows?”

“I will compel the truth from you demon.” Artemis looked around for any kind of symbol she could use and locked eyes with the terrified Gen Z Cherokee girl standing in the corner holding a tray of coffees from Starbucks. Internship clearly. The feather in her hair was very distinctive “May I have your feather?”

“Me? Up yeah sure.” She pulled it out of her braid and handed it to the Amazon.

“Thank you.” 

Artemis didn’t question why she had an ostrich feather but she thanked Bast for it because it was the symbol of Ma’at. “I call upon the goddess Ma’at,” she switched to the Greek-Arabic hybrid that was the language of the Banas and continued “< hold true your seven cardinal virtues: Justice, Balance, Order, Compassion, Harmony, Reciprocity and Truth. Bring forth the truth from this demon. Your humble worshipper asks this if you>.”

“There is no Mimi Bowers. I am all there is.” The Demon reticently revealed.

“So no human will be harmed when I return you to hell. Good.”

“Soon it will be you who will return to our Prince of Darkness!”

“You’re one of Dalkriig’s demons, of course. Give him a message for me.”

“What message?”

Artemis pulled an arrow from the realm her bow resided in and slammed it into her eye, through its brain, killing it. 

Parker Lyle sat there mouth open, with the producer being a demon she hadn’t done a very good job directing her people and so the camera crew had just kept rolling, switching to better angels as they did. Artemis picked up the hoola hoop, tied it to her bow and magicked it away. “Well I think that’s enough of that.” 

Hank nodded unsurely “I would agree.”

Back at the house Nathaniel sighed “I can’t tell if that was a success of a complete and utter clusterfuck.”

Myst had her face buried in her hands “She just killed a demon in national TV. It’s not going to work. It can’t.”

Marcia stares at the screen “That was amazing. But yeah I don’t think God loving America is going to like Pagan resurrected barbarian Wonder Woman all too much.”


	4. Loyalty

**Act II**

**Scene i**

When they’d gotten back to base Artemis works out whilst Hank reads a magazine

 

“Hey get this, you know that Actress Parker Lyle? Her TV show that’s been running for over 10 years is apparently a hotbed of demon activity. Sureshot and Myst shut them down a little while ago. Now Lyle’s gonna do some big movie about demon hunters! Maybe she can get me on as a consultant!”

 

Sureshot comes in “I highly doubt it Hank, you’ve been here for like a two months. I doubt Nathaniel’s gonna let you run off sharing trade secrets.”

 

“Drats.”

 

“Anyways I didn’t come her to smash your dreams, I actually came here to tell you that you’ve got a solo mission Artemis.”

 

“A solo mission?”

 

“Yeah, between you and me? It’s a loyalty test.”

 

“How so?”

 

“Wonder Woman and Wonder Girl are currently in contact with the Demon Etrigan. Boss wants you to take him out anyway.”

 

“And Diana won’t approve.”

 

“Yeah, pretty much. They seem to be allies.”

 

Artemis sighed, “I’ve beaten her before.”

 

“So you won’t hold back because she saved you?”

 

Artemis sighed again “If this is a loyalty test, I have no choice.”

 

Hank frowned “Well that’s not technically true, you could forfeit the team and keep your sister’s trust.”

 

Artemis shook her head “If I’m on this team, I need to be  _ with _ this team. I can’t let a conflict of interest get in the way. This is more than a loyalty test, I failed training and I’ve failed those demon hunts because we got revealed, he’s testing me alright.”


	5. Gone, Gone, Form Of Man...

**Scene ii**

 

She never thought she’d be back in Gateway city. This was the city where she'd died. Where’d given up her life for this city because she’d been inspired by the mantle of Wonder Woman. Now she was about to betray it.

 

She climbed up the side of the building pretty easily, it had pipes and ridges that made for light work and her battle gear was made for this. She peered in through the skylight and saw a young blond girl and an older brunette arguing. Jason Blood, the demon host, and Diana were standing around trying to mediate the argument. Jason was wearing a black button down shirt and smart trousers, he had brunette hair with a streak of white through it, no doubt a hint to the magic he possessed. 

 

“Cassie!” The brunette yelled “I don’t want you being a superhero, you’re only a child!”

 

“What about Robin! And the Titans, they’re kids and they do great work. They save lives mom!” Cassie screamed back.

 

“Diana! Tell her!”

 

“Cassie, I understand that urge to help people but-”

 

“I have powers! Zeus gave me these powers! It’s irresponsible if I don’t use them!”

 

Diana shook her head “It’s irresponsible to use them without training. Power is dangerous without skill. You don’t know your own strength, you don’t know how to fly properly. Your mother is right.”

 

“But-!”

 

“Robin trained his whole life in all sorts of different things before Batman let him be Robin. Donna Troy had training from the Amazons, the same training as me and Aqualad when to Atlantean school to learn everything he can do now. They didn’t just become heroes overnight because they were given powers. Even Kid Flash took some time to get a grip of himself and he had his uncle to mentor him.”

 

Her eyes lit up “So I need a mentor! You can train me like the Amazons trained Donna! I mean I’m an honorary Amazon now right?”

 

“Absolutely not!” Cassie’s mother yelled.

 

“Actually Helena that’s not such a bad idea.” Jason weighed in “Even if she doesn’t become a hero, when you have powers… control is important. Trust me.”

 

Helena frowned but she seemed to get what Jason was saying.

 

Artemis was getting tired of watching their petty squabble. She had a job to do and she wasn’t about to let Nathaniel down again. “Jason Blood!” She crashed through the ceiling, sword drawn, shocking them all “Prepare to die!”

 

“Artemis!” Her sister exclaimed.

Artemis took a survey of the room, she’d been sloppy there was another man in the room, an asian man with a turban and he appeared to be blind.

She commands Helena on the way she pulls her daughter out of harm's way when the girl is too stupefied to move herself “But she died!” Cassie shouted.

“Did Diana not tell you about my return? She rescued me after all.” Artemis drew her sword and ran at Jason Blood. The man ducked out of the way and rolled across his apartment. Artemis scowled angrily, she was not in the mood for a game of cat and mouse.

Artemis grabbed her two handed sword in both hands and prepared to strike him once more when Diana grabbed her wrist, “Artemis, hold! Explain yourself! Jason Blood is my friend!”

Artemis looked at the hand on her wrist and then back at Diana, “Clumsy.” With the force of both her arms she tossed the Wonder Woman over her shoulder and watches as the turban man leaps out of the way of her body before he should have even known she was coming. “You depend too much on your powers, that’s why I will always be a better warrior than you.”

Helena grabs Jason and pulls him towards her “Jason, we need to get out of here! She’s hellbent on killing you!”

Artemis’ eyes narrow, this woman is in love with Jason Blood. Unfortunate. “Stand aside Helena Sandsmark, I’m here to kill a demon.” She slams her sword at him once again but is thrown off when Diana hits her in the back.

“Jason Blood is no enemy of mine and he shouldn’t be a target to the Hellenders!”

Soon the two amazons were just grappling and Cassie ran forward to help “Diana should be wiping the floor right now! She needs help!”

But Helena grabbed her shirt and pulled her back “I don’t think so, we’re all getting out of here. Come on Jason.”

“Helena. I’ve been hiding something from you. Something I hoped I could reveal to you in a much better way than this but it can’t be postponed any longer and you deserve to know if we’re going to be together.”

“Jason, what-?”

“Gone gone the form of man, rise the demon ETRIGAN!” The black clothes, brown hair and caucasian skin melted away in a burst of hellfire and was replaced with a hulking orange demon, dressed in red and with a cape trailing behind him.

 

Helena screamed in complete horror and Cassie fist pumped, vindicated “I knew something was wrong with him!”

This was more her speed. She had no qualms about killing a man if he deserved it but Jason Blood didn’t deserve it. Etrigan however was fair game. It was her mission. 

Etrigan blasted Artemis with a spout of fire and in an attempt to keep both sides safe she pushed Artemis out of the way of the blast. Unfortunately she also pushed them both out of the window of a several story foot high building. “Oh no.”

Artemis tutted “Another clumsy move Princess.” She hits Diana’s metal belt with her sword hard enough that she lets her go.

“Artemis!” She swoops down to catch the now falling Amazon “Take my hand before you fall to your death!”

“I am not so fragile Diana!” She yelled angrily, she was angry at Diana. Angry that she’d come all this way to kill her friend and the princess was still trying to save her. Why did she have to be so damn self righteous? The landing would hurt like a motherf-cker but she would be fine so long as she landed on her feet and rolled to absorb the impact. She was a little surprised when Diana didn’t dive after her anyway, the woman  _ was _ incredibly stubborn.

Of course Cassie didn’t know this “Zeus gave me powers. Zeus gave me powers.” She chanted as she took a flying leap out of the window after Artemis. The journey down was a little rough, it was her first time flying and Etrigan jumped down after her to continue the fight so of course when they were a safe distance from the ground, Artemis decided to use her as a springboard. 

“You should get off the battlefield young one. This is no place for children, trust me.” She leapt up, ignoring Cassie’s protests and flying once again at the demon. She got a good hit in on his shoulder.

“Surrender now and end your pain. From further struggle, nothing’s gained.”

Artemis scoffed “Your battle skills are as clumsy as your rhyming.” Etrigan shot more flames at her and Artemis laughed this time “I’ve endured the worst flames in the Inferno for weeks,

your fire is like a warm hug to me. I’ve trained my whole life to fight demons.”

“Your blade is quick but not enough! You’ll find a demon’s hide is tough.” He took three more direct hits from her sword but he was still coming at her “And where your steel is seen as wanting, my claws and fangs are swift and daunting!” He lashed out quickly and precisely, hitting her in her torso and clawing across. 

She growled as she leapt back to check herself and get back into the battle “Enough speeches! I don’t know what you’re planning, nor do I care I have my mission and I intend to see it thr-aaah!”” Artemis suddenly found herself flying backwards.


	6. ...Rise The Demon ETRIGAN!

**Scene iii**

 

“Do you have what I asked for?” A man in a business suit asked someone sitting behind him.

 

Two men were sat back to back on park benches, talking to each other covertly and doing a really really bad job at concealing it and Donna Troy was getting it all on camera. She snapped shots as they traded briefcases, as they opened them and checked the contents, closed them and walked off in separate directions. They couldn’t have been more obvious if they had tried.

 

Donna secured her camera around her neck and then climbed down from the tree she was in, reviewing the photos as she called a cab from the street “Luthor Hotel please.”

 

“You got it.” The taxi driver replied. He turned up the radio a bit when an emergency road update came on.

 

“Looks like there’s going to be traffic from 13th street down to Brunswick and 25th because of a fight between Wonder Woman, Requiem and the demon known as Etrigan on 15th Street.”

 

Donna looked up from her photos “How far away is that?”

 

“About 4 blocks.”

 

“Can you get me there instead?”

 

“With this traffic? By the time we get there all the fun will be over.”

 

Donna sat for a second and thought about her options. “Here’s your fare.” She handed him some cash and leapt out. She climbed on top of a car and started leaping from hood to hood “Hell of a time to lose your powers, Troy.”

  
  


She raced around a corner just in time to see Etrigan slam his claw into her side and Artemis leap back but before she could get into the fight Cassie Sandsmark, all short blond hair and boyish clothes, grabbed her long red ponytail and pulled her back. Donna snapped a couple pictures because damn if that wasn’t a great shot and continued to run towards them.

 

Cassie yelled “I don’t know what you think you’re doing but Wonder Woman already said to leave him alone!”

 

“Done thy job has been and fully, though the task you knew of not!” He pushed Cassie out of the way as he went to attack her once more “Demon hunting witch’s folly meets the end which is its lot!”

 

Cassie fell to the ground “I’m getting tired of being shoved around today.”

 

Diana helped her up “Cassie, I can’t keep them from fighting and worry about you at the same time, I need you to stay out of this.”

 

Cassie scowled “Stupid Diana, thinks I’m some kind of child. I’m a superhero you know. I’ve got powers, given to me by Zeus. I can do everything she can do!” Cassie goes to join the fight, despite Diana’s wishes when suddenly she grabbed by something around the neck and whisked away.

 

“Etrigan stop!” Diana cries, grabbing him to hold him back “I’ll restrain her until I can get her to understand that you’re not-”

 

“Understanding is elusive, fleeting as that thing called ‘truth’, Artemis’ comprehension ends at laws of claws and tooth!” He spins Diana around and throws her into a building “Time is past for glad charading, time is past for stealth and guile, now the age of man is fading, now shall come the age of fire!” He stands over, claws drawn and teeth gnashing and for the first time in her life Diana sees Etrigan not as a hero who fought by her side but as the demon that he is. 

 

“Etrigan what are you doing?”

 

“Demon, monster, she called me before, and you thought her words untrue. Friendship with my alter ego, shaped the thoughts that came to you. Now let all pretense be ended, now let Etrigan be free, free to serve his one true master, free to maim and kill with glee!” He charged up another blast of fire and through the brightness of it all Diana could see were two red eyes glaring down at her and the white glow of his huge pointy teeth.

 

“I THINK NOT MONSTER!” Artemis plunged the tip of her sword through Etrigan’s chest and drove him into the ground “This is over demon. My mission is done.”

 

“The day is far from ended, the danger yet to pass. Who will live and who will die? My master we shall ask!”

 

Artemis looked up and saw what Etrigan was talking about. A figure standing in fire, holding Cassie in his arms “Who are you?!”

 

“Didn't you hear. I’m his master.” The figure grinned. He snapped his fingers and suddenly there was a smoking crater in the ground and everyone was gone.

 

Donna stumbled under the police barrier, desperate to find her older sister, “Diana!? Artemis!? Cassie!? Oh gods, oh Hera, they’re gone. They’re all gone!”

 


End file.
